Why touching message in a bottle goes viral; why finder released it back to sea

Two fishermen from Francis Beach, California found a nice-looking bottle washed ashore. It looks neat, plus there seems to be an interesting piece of note inside.

Piqued by curiosity, one of the men decided to open the bottle, thinking it was from centuries ago surviving the sands of time and with some sort of ancient message.

However, when the mystery was revealed, it turned out it was just a few days old coming from a man who passed away just recently. Inside was a laminated photo dated August 17, 2014 from Moss Beach, California. The message read:

“My name is Mel, I have 3 beautiful kids and a beautiful wife of almost 54 years when I passed. I love the ocean, deep sea fishing, abalone hunting with My 2 Son’s and visiting the tide pools with the whole Family.”

“Today My Family is laying me to rest in a place that I love…..the ocean. So, this starts my journey….If you find this message in a bottle, please go to my Facebook page -Melvin’s Journey- post a pic of yourself and where you found me and send me back on my journey.”

“Thanks and God bless … Mel’s Family.”

Photos of the touching message were posted on Reddit by one of the friends of the fisherman who found the bottle. It immediately became viral online and shared by many websites.

The message was actually in memory of Melvin Stanley Clary who just died recently. A Facebook page was created for him – aptly named Melvin’s Journey.

In keeping with Melvin’s request to whoever found his message in a bottle, one named Willie (presumably one of the finders) posted a photo of the bottle on the page with the following message:

“I was fishing down by Francis Beach last Sunday afternoon when I found the message in the bottle that you guys sent out. After reading the message that was attached, I tried throwing the bottle back but it kept getting washed back up on shore due to the wind and swell. Due to my schedule as a student, I wasn’t able to throw the bottle back until today, Saturday Aug. 23rd. The bottle was released at the end of the Half Moon Bay Harbor Jetty.”

“I wish you guys the best of luck.”

Many netizen’s were touched by the message and was hoping Melvin would continue with his journey until another person finds his bottle to share his story.

His life may have ended, but his journey, according to him, has just begun.